Airport reports another banner year for boardings

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Huntington Tri-State Airport saw passenger boardings grow by 11 percent in 2010 over the previous year. Year-end boardings totaled 116,956 passengers, compared to 105,428 in 2009. December boardings were also up compared to last year by 3.3 percent. During 2010, the airport served a total of 230,694 arriving and departing passengers.

Allegiant Air carried 60 percent of the airport’s passengers and posted a 7 percent increase year over year. The numbers were further boosted by US Airways, which provides non-stop service to Charlotte, posting a 33 percent increase in boardings over last year. Delta Air Lines, which currently provides service to Cincinnati, remained relatively constant with an increase of 0.6 percent. Beginning March 2, Delta will upgrade their current service by shifting their connecting flights from Cincinnati to Detroit—Delta’s second largest hub.

The airport has been steadily adding passengers since November 2006, when Allegiant Air began nonstop Florida service to Orlando, followed by service to St. Petersburg/Clearwater and Ft. Lauderdale, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Within four years, Tri-State Airport has grown from a low of 39,000 passengers for the year to nearly 117,000 passengers, representing a 197 percent increase and an additional 77,544 travelers. For more information, visit www.tristateairport.com

Make a snow globe at BCPL

ASHLAND, Ky. — A special tween craft program at Boyd County Public Library later this month will demonstrate how to design and make a snow globe.

The program starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, at the Main Branch, 1740 Central Ave. It is open to all area tweens (ages 7 to 12).

Participants will turn baby food jars into fun keepsakes, by using items they select to make a snow globe. The library will provide all the supplies.

For more information, call the youth services department at (606) 329-0518, ext. 1300. To learn more about the library’s many programs and services, visit the online branch at www.thebookplace.org.

BCPL attains ‘Enhanced’ level

ASHLAND, Ky. — Boyd County Public Library recently learned that it has attained the Enhanced Level in the standards set by the Kentucky Public Library Association.

Enhanced is the level between Essential and Exemplary, as set by the KPLA standards committee. Standards provide a guide to excellence, and define the kind of public library services that should be available for Kentuckians. It is BCPL’s goal to attain Exemplary Status by 2013.

The KPLA standards stress ongoing planning and evaluation in seven key service areas: governance and administration; human relations; collections; services; facilities; technology; and marketing/public relations.

According to Lisa Rice, chair of the KPLA Standards Committee, the standards help maximize the library’s role in the community by focusing its resources.

The standards committee reviewed data from BCPL and 90 other libraries in Kentucky. At the Enhanced Level, BCPL had a score of 86.9 percent (80 percent is required for Enhanced), compared to an average score of 64.6 for all Kentucky libraries.

The BCPL Board of Trustees approved a strategic plan in October that sets goals for the Library to reach Exemplary by 2013. Some have already been accomplished, and others will take another year or two to achieve fully, said Director Debbie Cosper.